Magnetic Detection of SLN in Veterinary Medicine

Breast cancer is one of
the most common tumors not only in humans, but also in dogs. The choice of
treatment is also similar: surgical resection and metastatic lymph node
removal. In some cases, lymph node mapping can be performed via pre-operative
CT examination, however, an intraoperative SLN identification method has yet to
be established in veterinary medicine.

In his study, Takayuki
Nakagawa – Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life
Sciences of the University of Tokyo – investigated the usefulness of SLN detection
in canine malignant tumors using a magnetic probe, and the method showed an
excellent detection rate – equivalent to that of the radioisotope & dye
method – suggesting that it may be feasible in various canine solid cancers,
especially in head or neck tumors such as oral melanomas and thyroid tumors.

Prof. Nakagawa’s
research also served as a significant preclinical study, which proved the viability
of the magnetic method in vivo, and its extended relevance for human carcinomas
other than breast cancer.

Moreover, by diverting
the results of this veterinary clinical trial to preclinical studies for human
medicine, the need for laboratory animals can be reduced, contributing to
animal welfare.